Opinion: Supermarkets look a good bet April 20, 2020 The received wisdom at present is that UK property capital markets have pretty much gone into suspended animation in the face of the pandemic, but this certainly isn’t the case in the grocery-led sector. There are currently seven substantial supermarket transactions totalling around £205m which are either under offer or due to imminently complete. And [...]
Coronavirus: When are supermarket opening times for NHS and pensioners? April 17, 2020 As the UK heads into lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak, supermarkets have enforced tighter restrictions and changed opening hours. Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday ordered all “non-essential” shops to close, leaving supermarkets one of the few stores to remain open. In recent weeks supermarkets have struggled to keep shelves replenished as consumers embarked on [...]
Coronavirus: Ineos to build third European hand sanitiser plant March 31, 2020 Chemicals company Ineos said today it will build a hand sanitiser plant in France in 10 days to help meet a European shortage. Ineos has already begun production on hand sanitiser plants in the UK and Germany. Last week the privately owned UK business said it would build UK and German plants to supply schools, [...]
Coronavirus: Aldi, Morrisons and Waitrose ease stockpiling restrictions March 31, 2020 Supermarkets have begun to ease restrictions on the number of productions shoppers can purchase as availability has improved following a spike in coronavirus-related stockpiling. All major UK supermarkets were forced to limit the number of items customers could buy earlier this month, to combat an increase in panic buying. Aldi announced this morning that, while [...]
Brits spent an extra £1.9bn in stockpiling spree before coronavirus lockdown March 31, 2020 Brits made over 79 million extra trips to supermarkets in the four weeks leading up to the coronavirus lockdown, as people rushed to stock up on groceries ahead of restrictions being introduced, according to industry data. The stockpiling drove a 20.5 per cent jump in supermarket sales up to 21 March, with customers spending an [...]
UK coronavirus: Tesco restricts online orders to 80 items each March 27, 2020 Tesco has said online customers will have their deliveries capped at 80 items, in the latest move to safeguard supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. In an email to customers the supermarket said the aim was “to increase the number of customers we can safely deliver to”. Tesco urged customers to visit stores during the nationwide [...]
Morrisons directors quit in corporate governance row March 26, 2020 Two Morrisons non executive directors have quit, reportedly due to a disagreement over corporate governance at the supermarket. Neil Davidson, chair of the corporate compliance and responsibility committee, and Tony van Kralingen, remuneration committee chair, have stepped down and will cease to be directors from 26 and 29 April respectively. The grocer said today that [...]
Intu sees rent payments dive amid UK coronavirus crisis March 26, 2020 Struggling retail landlord Intu has received less than a third of rent due for its second quarter as retailers struggle to pay the bills amid the UK coronavirus crisis. That forced it to abandon 2020 guidance as its incredibly low shares dropped three per cent to under 4p. The government has ordered almost all shops [...]
Coronavirus: UK grocery sales soar £470m due to panic buying March 24, 2020 Grocery sales at UK supermarkets soared by £467m as customers stockpiled amid escalating fears over the spread of coronavirus in the UK, according to the latest research. Food sales jumped 22 per cent year-on-year in the week ending 14 March driven by an increase in essential household items and long lasting foods. Supermarkets were forced [...]
Public urged to be vigilant amid rise in online coronavirus scams March 24, 2020 Members of the public have been urged to be vigilant due to a rise in online scams related to the coronavirus outbreak. Consumer groups warned that unscrupulous criminals were exploiting fears about the pandemic to prey on unsuspecting victims — particularly older and vulnerable people isolated from family and friends. National Trading Standards reported an [...]